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Andrew McDonald turned in his first career complete game and No. 3 seed Elon scored five times in the seventh inning to open up a close game as the Phoenix knocked No. 6 seed Furman out of the Southern Conference Baseball Championship at Fluor Field on Friday, 8-1. Elon (29-28) advances to face No. 7 seed Georgia
Southern on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Phoenix would have to beat GSU twice Saturday to reach Sunday’s championship game. Furman sees its season end at 32-25 overall. McDonald (4-1), whose previous career-long outing was 5 2/3 innings, scattered seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over nine innings, allowing just the one run.After Hunter Burton’s leadoff single in the third inning, McDonald didn’t allow another hit until Taylor Johnson led off the ninth with a single up the middle. The Paladins scored their lone run in the top of the first, with Burton leading off with a double down the left-field line and later coming in on a double-play groundout.Elon took a lead it would not relinquish in the bottom of the second inning, getting a bases-loaded walk from Chris King and a sacrifice fly from Chris Bresnahan to take a 2-1 lead. The Phoenix added an insurance run in the sixth, with Sebastian Gomez, who led off with a double, scoring on a passed ball.Elon blew the game open in the seventh, rapping out four hits to plate five runs. After consecutive walks to open the inning, a sacrifice bunt advanced both runners. Furman elected to intentionally walk SoCon Player of the Year Ryan Kinsella to load the bases, but Gomez made the Paladins pay with a single to center to drive in Bresnahan. Gomez’s hit was the first of four straight run-scoring singles for the Phoenix, with Antonio Alvarez’s drive up the middle plating a pair.Furman started to get to McDonald in the ninth, with Johnson singling up the middle to lead off and moving to third on Alex Abrams’ single to left. McDonald recovered, however, inducing a pair of groundouts to end the game. Gomez finished 3-for-4 at the plate to pace the Phoenix, while Burton had Furman’s lone multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 performance.Furman starter Tyler Wood (2-2) took the loss, surrendering two runs on just one hit but three walks in two innings. The Paladins used five pitchers in the contest, including four in the seventh.